Connect with Author

Vandita is a passionate writer and IT enthusiast. She is a Computer Lecturer by profession at the University of Delhi. She has previously worked as a Software Engineer with Aricent Technologies. Vandita writes for MarTech Advisor as a freelance contributor.

YouTube has been battling a series of controversies in recent years. With many advertisers pulling out of the platform over concerns of brand safety, YouTube advertising has taken a significant hit. Will YouTube outlive this crisis, or are YouTube ads on the verge of extinction?

Big retailers have pulled the plug on YouTube advertising over content concerns and brand safety. Some advertisers arrested YouTube ad spend in 2017 after their ads appeared next to videos with hate speech and extremist content. Brands such as AT&T, Nestle, Epic Games, Disney, Hasbro and McDonald’s suspended their YouTube advertising after the controversy about predatory comments on videos with children was exposed.

THE NEW RULES OF (MULTI-CHANNEL) CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT: HANDBOOK FOR GROWTH MARKETERS

Winning CX will come from Brands who can balance relevance, consistency and convenience to drive engagement. The kind of engagement that drives optimal customer lifetime value and real business impact.

Will Brand Safety Scandals Impact YouTube Advertising Forever?

All is not looking good for YouTube right now, even though Google has been very prompt in regulating and taking down offensive content. They had blocked the comments section on videos featuring children, tightened community guidelines, and have been implementing artificial intelligence filters, and hiring more employees to vet content.

“Any content—including comments—that endangers minors is abhorrent and we have clear policies prohibiting this on YouTube...There’s more to be done, and we continue to work to improve and catch abuse more quickly,” a YouTube spokesperson said in its statement.

Although advertisers have temporarily frozen (or minimized) their YouTube ads spend, it is highly unlikely that they won’t return.

What Can Marketers Expect From Google and YouTube Advertising?

“So it’s one of those things, let’s say we’re getting it right 99% of the time, you’ll still be able to find examples. Our goal is to take that to a very, very small percentage well below 1%.”

YouTube is too big a platform to get rid of content problems and controversies completely, but the company is making progress and focusing on stringent enforcement to get better.

Here is what we can expect from YouTube in the future:

Most of the YouTube updates over the past year have been centered around content compliance.

Google is announcing more capabilities and initiatives to ensure brand safety, including more human auditing and better technology. For example, brands can set brand safety targeting to filter inventory based on sensitive content.

YouTube, like many other platforms, is built on user-generated content and might always be a risk of ads being displayed near offensive content. Acknowledging that ad-misplacement issues may happen from time to time and taking steps to diffuse the situation could help.

Such steps could be:

Adding disclaimers to YouTube ads about the content your brands doesn’t align with

Paying for premium placements

For targeted advertising for children, brands can opt to advertise on YouTube Kids channel. Even though it has a limited inventory, it will offer a more brand-safe environment

The breadth and depth of YouTube’s reach and scale is unmatched, making it impossible for marketers to abandon YouTube ads. Marketers could test the waters before resuming their YouTube ad spend, but it is unlikely that YouTube advertising will become extinct anytime soon.

YouTube Advertising Could Be Here to Stay

Seems like the stakes are too high for marketers to give up on YouTube ads just yet. It might be difficult and counter-productive to drop YouTube, as it continues to rule the world of video marketing.

Brands will eventually resume their marketing activities on YouTube, and Google would do well to deal aggressively and proactively with the problems plaguing the platform in the hope of a brighter future.

For subscribing to the MTA Weekly Digest!
You are just one step away from getting all the
essential martech insights week on week.

Check your inbox for more details.

Thank you for your interest in joining the MarTech Advisor Slack Community!
We review every application to create & maintain meaningful discussions in our community.
Give us 2 business days to confirm your spot!